Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail is viewing the February 1st reopening of restaurants with what she describes as a mix of concern and cautious optimism.
Restaurant capacity will be limited to 25%, and they are required to deny entry to persons not wearing a mask.
Vail says it’s important to open bars and restaurants, but officials will be keeping an eye on caseloads. “I think that we are poised to watch numbers very very closely as this begins," Vail says, "and catch any kind of a significant uptick. We’re just going to have to pay attention to that very closely.”
Establishments will also be required to close at 10 pm.
Last week, COVID-19 deaths in Ingham County were down to three, compared with nine the week before. The county has now had more that 14,000 confirmed cases.